University News Last updated 28 July 2011
Students from the School of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University have been experiencing life in Spain having during a month-long exchange project with the University of Cordoba.
The BA Primary Education with QTS students undertook placements at a number of Spanish Schools teaching English, Science, Geography, PE and Art.
The group had already carried out placements in England prior to their departure and had experience in teaching Spanish to English children. The trip gave the students an excellent opportunity to improve their Spanish language skills.
The students were also busy brushing up on their culture and were lucky enough to be in Spain during the Feria de Cordoba, an annual nine-day music and arts festival.
The exchange aimed to improve not only the students’ knowledge of Spanish, but allow them to experience and gain teaching skills in a different culture.
Nikki Latham, one of the exchange students, said: “The experience was fantastic and the primary school we taught in was beautiful. The trip as a whole enabled us to develop our Spanish skills, our teaching skills and our knowledge about the country itself.
“All of these things will be able to give the children knowledge of another culture and teach them languages effectively in the classroom.”
Tracey Sheldon and Emma Bloor, senior lecturers at the School of Education and Social Work have been responsible for setting up and managing the project since its conception in 2008. Now, they are continuing to build on their relationship with the University of Cordoba and are working hard to ensure that the scheme continues next year.
The School of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University is one of the leading providers of primary and secondary teacher training in the UK and trains more teachers than any other university in the West Midlands. Awarded the highest Category ‘A’ grade for quality of its provision by the Training and Development Agency (TDA), it is also one of few universities in the UK judged Grade 1 ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted for both primary and secondary teacher training